A Blind Search
by KaimelarTheDreamer
Summary: Himura has always had figures from his past come popping into his life. Sadly, it looks like the one he wants popping in can't. Now Kenshin and Kaoru have a new guest that can't see and knows a how lot more than he is letting on. How long will it take for Kenshin to dig up the dirty secrets that their new guest keeps hidden? Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1: A New Guest

**Ugh, I am so going against my only two fanfics at a time thing, but this story has been eating at me and I know that if I don't type it now it will end up like one other story I'm working on. I have like at least 7 chapters of that hand written but I'm to lazy to type it. I'm glad that I've been able to restrain myself from doing a lot of hand writing this story. If updates take a while just know I am trying to work on three, possibly soon to be four, stories at a time.**

**Note: In this story, one line means change of scene and two lines mean change in the change of P.O.V. can also have a change of location depending where the person whose point of view is being featured is located.**

* * *

Chapter 1: A New Guest

Kenshin Himura P.O.V.

It was a lovely summer afternoon. The wind blew softly and a few loose leaves lazily danced in it. The sun gave warm rays of light that cats loved to sunbathe in. The perfect weather is exactly why everyone at the Kamiya Kassien Dojo were sitting outside on the front porch enjoying tea and cake on the front porch. Well, at least Miss Kaoru and I were enjoying it. Yahiko and Sanosuke were just stuffing cakes in their mouths and snapping at each other. They kept on telling each other to save some for them.

"It's a lovely day, isn't it?" Kaoru commented with contentment in her voice.

"It is indeed a lovely day, that it is." I agreed. Then I smiled at her with my eyes closed and my head slightly titled her way. I then returned to sipping my tea.

"Hey Kenshin, what are you planning for dinner?" Sanosuke questioned with half of a cake hanging out of his mouth. It just happened to be the last cake.

I could practically see the steam pouring out of Miss Kaoru's ears.

"You just ate all my cakes, had dinner here for the past week, and you're planning to have dinner here again?! You're not getting any dinner, you useless bum!" She shouted as she punched Sanosuke multiple times.

"Easy, Missy! I just wanted to know!" Sanosuke claimed as he tried to defend himself against Kaoru's enraged attacks.

"Yeah, so you could come over here and get another free meal that won't add more to your gigantic tab!"

I decided to clear my throat and interrupt then. "Besides Sano, I don't think that you would like tonight's dinner. We are going to have leek soup."

I remembered one time we had leek soup and Sanosuke left the moment he found out.

"Oh, but Kenshin, we don't have any leeks." Kaoru commented in the sweet and soft tone that I realized she only used with me.

"Who said that I didn't like leek soup?" He scratched his head, thinking about anytime he could have possibly denied any form of food. His face brightened up as he remembered. "Oh, you're thinking of that one time I turned down leek soup. I only refused it because Missy was cooking it and I knew it would taste terrible." Sanosuke explained.

That brought on another angry attack from Kaoru.

"Oh, well then I better go buy some leeks from the market. I'll get enough so you can join us Sano." I say as I get up. "I should be back shortly."

* * *

When I got to the market it was strangely empty. Only a few people were on the streets and by the looks of things most of them were finishing their shopping. I would've thought that more people would be roaming the streets looking for a bargain on a day like today.

I turned a corner and accidentally ran into a young man. He was about my height and he had short messy blond hair. He wore an oversized blue kimono that hid everything from the neck down and he carried a large sack of what sounds like money. He facial features were narrow but beautiful, almost like a woman's face. At first I would've thought him to be a thief, especially since it appeared that a group of men with drawn swords were headed our way, but that was instantly dismissed when I looked at his most startling feature, his dull blue eyes. Well, perhaps not instantly, but what he did shortly after are collision pretty much proved my thought, that and add in the walking stick strapped to his back.

"I am so sorry! I didn't hear you there!" He exclaimed as his hands fluttered briefly over my face, his hand lightly brushing my crossed shaped scar. His hands had the calluses of an expert swordsmen, though how long it had been since he held a sword was a mystery to me.

His apology made it obvious, the boy was blind. He relied on his hearing and sense of tough to be able to detect his surroundings, or in this case identify a stranger.

"What is wrong? Are you a thief?" I asked quickly.

"No! I'm not a thief. Those men are chasing me because they want the money that they were supposed to give my master back. I even have evidence that my master completed the bounty in my bag. They wouldn't believe me and I was hurt in a fight to get this money and so I can't fight them. Please help me! I'll provide you with the evidence as soon we can get safely away from them." He begged.

His legs were shaking underneath him and I could see blood staining the cloth near his left quad, though I could not see a tear in the fabric. The young man could not remain standing for much longer.

I put a hand on his right shoulder and said, "I will help you, but you will have to wait for me to fight these men. I couldn't carry you away from them fast enough to get you to safety, but I'll come back to get you to a place I know is safe and we can treat your wound there."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, mister." He said as he gripped the corner of the building and he slid down to a sitting position, anting heavily as if he had been running from these men for some time, which would not have been possible for him in his condition plus being blind.

I quickly ran to meet the men. I could not wait for them to come to me. For all I know the boy could've been cut at a major artery or vein and is dying as I fight.

"Get out of the way you scarecrow!" The lead man yelled. "That boy stole our money."

"A blind boy stole from you? I have high doubts. The boy has offered me evidence of his innocence and unless that proves him wrong I will protect him and I will not return the money that is rightfully his. You can stand down now and if he is proven wrong I will return the money to you. The same goes for fighting me and him being proven wrong, however, you will have sacrificed the health of your men." I tried to reason.

"That boy stole from us period! We want our money back now, not later." The man exclaimed as refused to listen to my reason. "And besides, one man can't stand against twenty men of the Bounty Akumas."

I quickly proved him wrong, because the moment he finished his sentence, I attacked and they all soon lay twitching at my feet. Many had broken bones, a few were lucky enough to escape unconscious with a few bruises.

I then quickly ran to the boy and picked him. He was lighter than he appeared, even with the bag. There probably was enough money in that sack to sustain a person for their lifetime, as long as they stuck to the bare necessities.

For a second I feared that I had been to late, but then the boy opened his eyes weakly. "That was quick." He murmured. "What is your name?"

"My name his Kenshin, Kenshin Himura." I explained as I ran to Doctor Gensai's home. "What is yours?"

He knew it was bad to pass out and he was trying to create a conversation, I was happy to oblige him. I didn't want him to pass out while I was carrying him because I feared I might mistaken him for dead.

"My name is... Akimoto, Akimoto Takumi."

"Are you a foreigner?"

"No, I am Japanese through and through."

"So, your master is a bounty hunter?"

"Yes, his most recent successful bounty he really wants. He wants it because he's giving it to me so I can live on my own, and so that I don't have to be around when he kills people for money. He wants me to use this money so I can leave him, so that I no longer need his support. I was once useful to him, long ago, when I could see, but now I am just burden."

"It's nice of him to give you that money."

I didn't exactly like bounty hunters, but at least this one was giving his apprentice a chance to live happily without his sight.

"I know. Anyone else might've thrown me out on the street."

"Okay, we're here. Doctor Gensai! I have someone who needs your assistance!" I exclaimed.

"Gensai is not here right now," A feminine voice called out. "But I'm here if it's an emergency. Bring whoever needs help into the operating room. No doubt that if it's one of your friends they're going to need stitches or some kind of emergency operation."

I quickly ran to the instructed room and set the young man down on the mat.

"Thank you Miss Megumi." I said as she entered the room.

"At least it's someone new. I don't suppose that the others know you're here."

"No, I was supposed to be out getting leeks for dinner when I ran into him."

"I'll send Ayame to get everyone. I don't want to have to listen to the story more than once." She explained. She quickly called in Ayame and had her run over to the dojo to get everyone, then she set to work on Akimoto's leg. She ripped off the cloth around the wound to reveal that the leg was already bandaged, albeit, very sloppily.

Akimoto blushed, embarrassed. "I tried to patch myself up, but I couldn't trust myself to stitch myself up and so I did the best I could being blind and all."

"Well, you did very good job for someone who is blind. In fact, you did better than some people who can see." Megumi commented as she started to unwrap his leg. Some blood had already began to crust and so when she removed certain parts of the bandage certain parts of Akimoto's wound began to bleed anew. He winced, but not once during the entire process of removing the bandage, stitching the wound, and rewrapping it, did he whimper or let out a cry of pain. And by the time that was all done Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Kaoru arrived.

* * *

Kaoru P.O.V.

Almost the moment we got there Yahiko went and said something very rude, as usual.

"He's weird lookin'. Is he a foreigner?"

"Yahiko!" I scolded as I elbowed him. "Learn some manners."

The stranger on the mat smiled at us with his eyes closed. "It's okay, Miss...uh..."

"I'm Koaru. The loud mouth is Yahiko, and the bottomless pit behind me is Sanosuke." I explained.

"I'm sorry, but could you each speak your names in turn. I can't see so I can only recognize you by sound or by touch. And since we barely know each other, it's probably best to go by sound." He said as he gave an embarrassed laugh while scratching the back of his head. He finally opened his eyes to us for the first time and I saw that they were a dull blue. They seemed to only look at me, but I had been the most recent one to speak, so he probably was just focusing on me.

"I'm Kaoru."

"I'm Yahiko."

"I'm Sanosuke."

"I am Megumi."

"And I am Kenshin."

"Well, hello everyone. My name is Akimoto and to answer your question Yahiko, I am not a foreigner. I really don't know why I have blond hair or blue eyes." He explained. His voice almost had a feminine sound to it. He probably was still going through the stages to manhood.

"I only know one other person in Japan who is native here and is blond and has blue eyes. I have not see her in quite some time." Kenshin commented, almost fondly. I quickly ended my jealousy before I could react. He only used that tone when he spoke of the few very good friends he had from the Revolution.

Akimoto winced. "And I fear you will not see her again."

"Why?"

"There is only one person in all of Japan who had a bounty on her head as large as the sum I collected, and I fear it is the same person you speak of." He started. "The person my master, or ex-master I should say, killed was Ishimaru Miharu." I saw Kenshin straighten up and his eyes widen at the name. "He sent me with her hair covered in her own blood as evidence. Anyone who knows her name knows that she would never cut it. She knew how to use the incredible length of her hair as a weapon, even though in most cases it is should've been a liability. She certainly gave my master a ran for his money, but in the end he defeated her. In most cases my master would send me with the entire head of his victim, but he believed that he was shaming such an honorable opponent enough by taking her hair. He also gave her a proper burial." Akimoto explain.**  
**

Kenshin moved over to the bag that sat next to the young man and pulled out long golden locks that were stained with massive amounts of blood.

"So, she really is gone then?" He whispered, almost sounding afraid for it to be confirmed.

"Yes, and you wouldn't believe how much of a struggle she put up for someone who was blind. She was blind and she nearly beat my master, she must've been really good when she could see." Akimotot commented.

Kenshin's head snapped towards Akimoto. "She was blind?"

"Yeah, no one knows when, but sometime after the Revolution something caused her to go blind. Some rumors say that she saw something that she wasn't supposed to and the Imperialist had her blinded, another says that she was so distraught at the sight of the lives that she took that she blinded herself. The rumors go on and on, but no one knows which is true or if any of them are."

"So, Ishimaru was a friend of yours Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked.

"If the rumors are true, than he should be." Akimoto commented.

"What do you mean?" Yahiko asked. "What rumors?"

"The rumors that the Battousai and Ishimaru were great friends."

"How did you-"

"-know?" Akimoto finished for Kenshin. "Their was once a bounty on your head too, Himura. I remember when they told me you had a cross shaped scar on your left cheek. When I bumped into you I felt that scar."

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Eighteen." I replied.

"How long have you been blind?" Kenshin asked, for some reason he was suddenly getting interested in the boy more than he was the death of his old friend.

"Six years."

"So, you learned to become a master swordsman in less than twelve years, did you not?"

The young man burst out laughing. "Looks like I gave you a peace of information as well when I touched your face, Himura. Indeed I did master a sword in less than twelve years."

I gaped at the young man and his now tightly bandaged leg. This young man who was nearly helpless today against some dishonest men became a master swordsman in less than twelve years.

Akimoto's head turned towards me and his eyes were on me, like he could actually see. "Don't stand there with your mouth gaping, Kaoru. Ishimaru has a more impossible feat than that. Tell 'em Kenshin."

"How did you know that my mouth was open?"

"I think everyone heard it drop, Kaoru. I actually just guessed." He replied. "Now, tell 'em Kenshin. You might be the only person alive, besides me and my master, who knows her story."

"I met her when she first joined the Revolution. She was six years old and already knew how to wield a sword better than most grown men. At the age of seven she had mastered her style, Himitsu da Honou no Tsurugi, and many other styles. By the the age of eight she could easily match me in battle and I never saw her after my final battle in the Revolution. She once told me that she worked so hard to master multiple styles because she never wanted to caught off guard if she were to lose her sword that was specially made for her style. I was hoping to see her again, but it looks like she caught too much attention. It didn't help that one of her best weapons was her long golden hair. She would braid it into a whip and hit men or blind them with it. No one would expect so much raw power to come from such a young girl." Kenshin explained.

I finally see what Akimoto meant by that Ishimaru had accomplished a whole lot more than him.

I was sad that I never got to meet her, but I'm not sure that I would want to. I mean seriously, it's scary that a six year old could kill without crying for momma.

* * *

**Okay, I made up Ishimaru's sword style. It literally translates into "the secret sword of fire". I Promise this gets interesting. Akimoto has a few secrets that are going to be spilled and he's not as helpless as he sounds. Please someone for Heaven's sake review! I promise some interesting twists and turns and a little bit of mystery. Just in case you don't know what to put on a review I'll give you a quick chance to try and make a prediction.**

**a) Akimoto is actually a girl.**

**b) Akimoto isn't blind.**

**c) Akimoto is Kenshin's brother.**

**d) Ishimaru is going to rise from the dead and kill Akimoto and his master, and then have a quick tea party with Kenshin before returning to the underworld.**

**Your personal predictions are welcomed.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Blind Sword

Chapter 2: The Blind Sword

Kenshin P.O.V.

I looked over to the sleeping figure that slept on edge on the mat next to mine. Akimoto slept as if he expected to be attacked at any moment. He had the blankets loosely wrapped around his body, making them easy to throw out of the way if he needed to get up quickly. His face looked calm but I recognized the small signs of tension and unease that I recognized from the men of the Revolution, the ones that feared that an assassin would kill them in their sleep. He shouldn't have ever had to sleep like this. He went blind as a young boy, his master should've been able to keep him safe from harm. How would he have learned this technique anyways? The one that even a slight disturbance could wake him and cause to be ready for a battle. I had used this technique myself during the revolution but I had abandoned it when I was sure that I had found a safe home with Miss Kaoru.

He was so young. He was only eighteen. What could've possibly made it necessary for him to learn this technique? Maybe it was the way he was blinded in his sleep by a rival bounty hunter of his master, if that was how he was blinded. Strange, we never asked about how he became blind.

My thoughts suddenly changed from the young man to the young girl I once knew, but was no more.

How had she become blind? Had she let her guard down one night and someone tried to kill but only succeeded in taking her sight? Highly unlikely due to extreme skill and power, but possible. Perhaps she blinded herself after all the horrors she had watched and committed at such a young age. That was a likely one. She had a kind heart that would remind her of these deeds until she died. There was also the possibility that the boy was lying and she had not been blind at the time of the battle that took her life. It would be hard to detect if the boy was lying. The eyes gave much away when it came to a human being lying. They could dart around in nervousness, they could twitch in certain ways, and emotions could be shown through them. His eyes were useless to him, but helpful at the same time. He could no longer see yes, by he could no longer express anything through them. In order to see if he was lying, I would have to look closely had his body behavior, and that could be hard if he has been trained to be able to lie without giving himself away.

I could not help but wonder how Ishimaru had died. Was it a sword through the heart? A dagger severing her spine? A blow to the head? What could have possibly killed her? She was strong, not only in body, but in mind and spirit as well. She was immensely powerful last we met, and her power could have only increased over these past years.

A silent rumble in my stomach reminded me that I could not lie and ponder the passing my friend. Breakfast had to be made and Yahiko would not eat the important meal if Miss Kaoru cooked it. I silently got up. The sound of me quietly brushing away the blankets caused the young man to twitch in his light slumber. I slowly and quietly started to make my way to the door, and I was nearly there when the floor beneath my feet betrayed me. An older floorboard underneath my foot let out a creak that was deafening in the silent room as my weight was distributed mainly to that foot.

The young man somehow managed to quickly get to his feet and stand in a defensive stance in my direction without the use of his eyes and with limited use from his left leg.

I knew that this young boy could not harm me, but my instincts disagreed. "It's okay Akimoto! It's just me, Kenshin." I spoke gently, but I swore I heard nervousness creep into my voice. It was as if Akimoto was Kaoru and something had her angry and I was trying to calm her down.

He froze, confusion quickly passing across his face so quickly I might've imagined it. "Akimoto?" He asked.

Could he have forgotten his name? If so, how? Miss Megumi had said that no damage had been done to his head. There only had been a few nicks on the back of his neck and head that were evidence that he cut his own hair.

"Your name is Akimoto. Don't you remember your name?" I questioned him with growing worry.

"Huh? Oh yes! Akimoto is my name." He laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head, his body once again standing at ease. "Sorry to worry you like that. I tend forget a few things after I've spent the night in a new environment. My senses and brain are trying to put together my surroundings and they try to kick a few things out in the process. I was always remember them at some point. I'm okay, honestly."

"Okay, if you insist. I'm going to make breakfast. Would you like me to assist you anywhere?" I asked, still unsure if he was really fine. I was also praying that he hadn't popped any stitches or Miss Megumi would be furious with me.

He blushed a little. "Well, I do have to go to the bathroom, and a bath would be nice. Could you help me get to those places? I can take care of my personal business and bathing on my own." I was about to object on the bathing part out of worry for his safety, but he interrupted me. "I am quite use to taking a bath on my own, and as long there is no one in the hall when I go in and out I will be fine."

"Why no one in the hall?"

"Because they could easily distract me from getting out safely, purposely or not. You yourself have noticed my ability to detect my surroundings, but if anything new is being introduced to them while I am concentrating on a few things in particular, like trying to get out of a water filled tub to a partly wet floor, it will take me by surprise and throw off my concentration and most likely result in me falling or getting hurt." He explained.

I in fact had noticed his ability to detect his surroundings. He had used it when he was feeling from those men, without the aid of his walking stick. I had been that something new introduced in his surroundings, taking him by surprise and causing him to crash into me. He was using the ability now. His unseeing eyes were able to follow my ever move with only his hearing to go off of. My kimono rustled and his eyes found the source of the noise, even though his eyes could not tell his brain what it was. I slowly brushed my hand against the doorway to test him, making a sound that only assassin would here, and his eyes followed my hand the entire time.

"Okay." I say. I start to walk towards the cane Miss Megumi provided for him while his leg healed, but he raised his hand to signal me to stop, then he limped to the corner of the room near his mat and retrieved it. I quickly folded and put away our mats before leading him to the bathroom. Then I started leading him to the bath.

"You can borrow one of my kimonos until we get you a new one." I offered as I lead him, not by hand, but by sound, to the bath.

"No," he replied firmly, "I only wear overly large kimonos for a reason, Kenshin. I will wear this one until I can get a new one."

"Well then, we better go shopping for some after breakfast." I suggested.

"I also have some things I need to retrieve from town. I stashed some personal belongings I brought with me under a place called the Akabeko, at least that was what the people who were going in and out of it called it." He explained.

"Will you tell me what killed Ishimaru? What wound finished her off in the end?" I asked, the sudden desire to know taking over me.

Akimoto chuckled. "Only if you tell me everything you can remember about her. I'll throw in the story of how I went blind."

"Fair enough. We'll exchange stories at breakfast so that everyone can hear, that we will. I have no doubt that Sanosuke will be there as well. He is a bit a of a freeloader." I finished as we arrived at the door. "We are here. It is the door right in front of you. I'm going to heat up the water. Let me know when it's at a temperature you like."

The bath had no incidents. He got in and out without trouble, and he even dressed himself faster than I thought he could on his own. I made a simple breakfast and by the time I was finished, everyone was outside waiting for the meal, even Sanosuke.

Everyone was waiting expectantly, and it wasn't just for the meal.

"So, the kid says that you're going to tell us more about this Ishimaru friend of yours." Sanosuke declares. "Spill."

"Yes, he is, but I'm spilling first since my stories are short and simple." Akimoto explained, his eyes on Sanosuke in what would've probably been a drop dead glare.

"Fine."

"As I told you, I went blind about six years ago. It was right after I had been placed under my master as an apprentice by my parents. I had just witnessed his first kill. It was the first time I had watched a life being taken by a weapon and not illness or old age. I was completely appalled by the sight. I knew my parents no longer wanted to deal with me, even though I was a prodigy with a sword, and I knew my master would not let me go willing due to my skill, or at least, that's what I thought. Later that night I took a small dagger from the various weapons my master always brought, and I carefully dragged it across my eyes so that I would not have to witness my master take another life. I thought I could still fight blind and that I could assist my master without seeing the blood drain from a body. I knew only a short time later that I had been wrong. My master had not been pleased with my deed, but he worried day and night over me as I recovered. When I recovered I could not fight with my sword and I could not do more than assist my master in burying the bodies. He only kept me until he could find a bounty large enough to sustain me for the rest of my life, then he let me go. He told me that I did not need to loose my sight to be set free from the position my parents had placed me in. I had taken my sight for nothing." He then took his index finger traced a faint pink scar I hadn't noticed before. It ran from the corner of each eye and across the bridge of his nose. "I have the scar to prove the deed."

"Now, please tell me how Ishimaru died." I nearly begged.

Akimoto took in a deep breath before sighing. "My master and Ishimaru fought viciously for a long time. My master had managed to avoid the killing blows that she was using more and more as she got more frustrated and he found a way to distract her long enough to deal some damaging blows. He would throw things, rocks, sticks, daggers, and throwing knives in the opposite direction he was going and she would instantly follow these sounds, believing it was him. He would dart in and wound her before quickly going out of range. At one point he was able to dart in and bury his katana so deep in her stomach that is came out of her back. I was the one that cut her hair and buried her all by myself. My master had not escaped unscathed and it was a miracle that he was alive." He explained.

"Did she say anything before her passing?" I asked.

"Yes, she did. She said, 'I'm sorry Big Brother Kenshin, that I could not see you one last time.' Those were her dying words."

I bowed my head solemnly. So, she had missed me as well.

"Wait a minute! Kenshin, you never told us you had a sister! You said that you were an orphan with no living family members." Miss Kaoru cried indignantly.

"She is not... was not my sister. Not biological at least. Due to the fact that we were the youngest members of the Imperialist army of assassins we tended to stick together and help each other when we could. We became each other's family, we became brother and sister." I explained.

"Now it's your turn to tell a story, Kenshin." Akimoto urged me.

"Yes, well... We met one day when she sat next to me for our evening meal..."

_*Flashback*_

I looked at the little girl that sat beside me. She had blond hair that reached her calf and bright blue eyes. Her face still had baby fat and her body had yet to start maturing. She could be no older than six years old. She should not be here. What father would be foolish enough to bring his daughter with him to war and leave her unattended among a group of men that could easily harm or take advantage of her.

"Where is your father?" I asked her. My voice sounding dull even to myself.

"Dead." She replied simply.

"You should not be here." I warned. "The men here don't care how old you are, they'll do anything they please with you."

"I'm supposed to be here," she responded and she turned to look at me and study me, "And as for the men, if they try anything with me that I don't like I have been given permission to harm, and even kill them." She had no joy in the last statement, like many of this time would. She would only do those things in self defense, though I had doubts that she could.

Then I noticed the sword that rested beside her. It was a strange sword that I had never seen before. It's blade was thick as two normal blades put together and it had a golden hilt. Around the hilt there was a golden guard that would protect the hand or hands of its wielder. Inscribed on the hilt was, "Decisions make who we are and what will be."

"So they are recruiting children now?" I asked with distaste.

"You are a child still." She pointed out.

"Yes, I guess I am. During this war I have forgotten that many times." I admitted. "I have never seen a sword like that before. What is it called?"

"It is called the kakureta himitsu desu. It is specially made for the sword style I have nearly mastered, Himitsu da Honou no Tsurugi. It is recorded as the hardest style to have ever been mastered, but I should master it by next year. I have mastered a few other styles, but this will be my main style. The others are just in case I lose my sword on the battle field and end up using one that is not meant for my style." She explained.

"What does the inscription mean?"

"It means that our decisions are based off who we are and what will be. A strike of the sword can decide who or what will be here tomorrow and who or what will not. It takes the decision of the swordsman to strike with the sword. Decisions and choices are what defines who we are, what we will be, and what will be."

_*Flashback Ends*_

"That's how I first met her. From that point on she proved that she was bold, daring, kind, gentle, stubborn, brave, smart, wise, and stupid all rolled into one." I finished.

"Wow... she was pretty wise for someone so young. Yahiko could've learned a thing or two from her." Miss Kaoru commented.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

I ignored Yahiko's outburst. "Yes, Ishimaru's mother died in childbirth, her childbirth. Her father died the day before her third birthday from a stray sword from a fight that they were trying going around. She was forced to grow up quickly, but she never forgot how she suffered from when she was little. She never wanted anyone to feel that way again, so she put all her effort in helping end the war. The war that took her father's life."

"After her father's death, Ishimaru lived on the streets. She was an orphan with no one to go to. She struggled to find food and to defend herself. That is, until she met her master. I never met him myself, I don't even know his name, but apparently he saved her from proverty, much like Seijuro Hiko the 13th did for me. The last I heard of her was at the final battle I fought at, and then she disappeared and I lost track of her."

* * *

Miss Tae P.O.V.

A few costumers had come and complained about a man rummaging under the front porch and that he had a blond young man for a look out sitting on the porch nearby. They said they weren't blocking the flow of customers, but they still were acting strange. So, I went to go check it out. When I got there sure enough there was a blond young man sitting on the porch staring of at the distance while a man in familiar purple kimono had his waist up under the Akabeko. The young man's blue kimono had a whole on the left quad area and it was stained with blood. A bandaged peeked out from underneath the hole.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked the blond.

"Kenshin is getting my belongings that I stashed under here yesterday. I promise we'll be leaving the moment I get my stuff." He promised, not even bothering to turn his head to look at me. I hadn't even caught him by surprise by sneaking up on him.

"Is that you, Miss Tae?" Kenshin asked as he pulled his head out from underneath the Akabeko, along with a long green bag. Whatever was inside clattered whenever the bag shifted. "I'm sorry if we caused any disturbances. Akimoto here was in a rush when he stashed his stuff here."

"Hey look! It's that kid and he's injured. Get him!" A voice shouted from the street.

And that's when it started. That's when a fight started in front of the Akabeko, and this time it wasn't Sanosuke's fault.

* * *

Kenshin P.O.V.

There were a lot of them. There was no way I could keep them all busy and away from Akimoto at the same time. I only take the time to through Akimoto's green bag onto the porch with a loud clatter before I had to turn to try and hold them of.

"Hold them off Kenshin until I can whoop their butts!" Akimoto shouted over the battle cries of my adversaries.

That was something that Ishimaru had always told me when she was trying to get involved in a fight that I was in. I shake my head to quickly clear my head of my deceased friend. What good could he do? Besides get himself killed, that is.

All of a sudden a shadow passed over me and something landed amongst the crowd and all of a sudden the men changed their goal from getting the boy behind me, to the thing that had jumped into their midst.

No... Akimoto. He surely would be killed.

Suddenly the men began to fall. I couldn't see what attacked them, but it was swift. They were unconscious and bleeding, but they weren't dead or mortally wounded.

Soon, all the men were on the floor and none of them were standing, except for one young man with blond hair that was leaning heavily against his sword. The sword had a dull blade that would only cut when a swordsman of extreme strength, and even at that, it would only give shallow cuts.

Akimoto was panting heavily. "It's been a... while since I... last fought... that many. I used a... sword that wouldn't kill Kenshin. I knew you... wouldn't let me... fight if I didn't."

I could only gape at him. This boy he claimed he could no longer use a sword, but he just took on fifteen men blind and injured.

* * *

Sanosuke P.O.V.

I was going to the Akabeko to have a beef pot, and I was totally surprised when I saw Akimoto standing, more like leaning on his sword, amongst fifteen unconscious men.

"What the hell happened?" I asked.

"Hey, came back here you thieves!" A feminine voice shouted. I looked down the street to see two thieves being chased by a brunette ninja. "That was the last thing my brother gave to me before he went to war!"

The leading thief who had a little metal chain hanging out of their clenched fist laughed, "Yeah, like that would make us want to give it back more."

"Yeah, like-" The other thief was about to agree with his partner when they both tripped over the bodies on the street and the metal chain went flying.

I instinctively caught the flying object. I looked in my hands to find a metal chain that a Yin Yang sign. I flipped it over and what I saw made my heart stop. On the back it said _Sanosuke &amp; Saimora._ Wait a second... I gave this to my sister the night I left to fight in the war. By it couldn't be. Our farm had burned down to the ground along with anyone in it while I was away. Could it really be her?

The woman stopped and was staring at me. Then she broke out in a smile and ran towards me. "Bedhead! It's you!" She cried as she ran up and hugged me.

I could only say, "I thought I told you not to call me that!" Before I broke up into tears with her.

* * *

**Okay, I'm making up Sanosuke's family history along with my sister. I do not know if the Akabeko has a front porch, but I am doing it for the sake of the story. So, I ended the story in a double cliffhanger. How did Akimoto defeat fifteen men on his own? And who is Sanosuke's sister? I will have a flashback of the siblings last conversation and a better description of his sister.**

**Here a options for predictions, your own are welcomed. Unless, you're my sister. You already know what the heck is going to happen, and she is not allowed to tell any of you.**

**a) Akimoto is actually a girl.**

**b) Akimoto isn't blind.**

**c) Akimoto is Kenshin's brother.**

**d) Ishimaru is going to rise from the dead and kill Akimoto and his master, and then have a quick tea party with Kenshin before returning to the underworld.**

**e) Ishimaru is alive.**

**f) Saimora is actually Sanosuke's girlfriend.**

**g) Saimora is Kenshin's girlfriend.**

**h) Akimoto doesn't have a master and he was the one to kill Ishimaru.**


	3. Chapter 3: A Blind-man's Bluff

Chapter 3: A Blind-man's Bluff

Sanosuke .

I couldn't believe that I was looking into those big chocolaty brown eyes again. Not much had changed in those eyes since I had last looked into them, except, there was more happiness then last time.

_*Flashback*_

I tried not to cry as I snuck further and further away from the farm, my home. I looked over my back over my shoulder again to make sure no one was following me, but between my running and the near moonless night, it was hard to see anything.

My foot caught on a loose rock and I tripped and fell, scraping my hands and knees when I caught myself.

A voice spoke above my head, high pitched and squeaky. "Where do you think you're going, Bedhead?" It demanded.

I forced a cocky grin through my grimace as I got to me feet. "You already know Saimora, so why bother asking me?"

I wasn't surprised by my twin sister's sudden appearance. My sister only made noise when she wanted to, and when she didn't she made ninjas seem loud.

"You can't go, you idiot! We need you here. Father needs you here. Father needs you for the harvest." She argued.

"He won't have a harvest if this war doesn't end." I snapped. I looked into her eyes. They were a rich chocolaty brown and they were moist with unshed tears that threatened to spill. Her eyes gave away her fear, worry, and love.

"A single boy won't make a difference!" She cried. "But you can make a difference here on the farm."

"I have to try!"

Suddenly she flung herself at me and embraced me in a rib crushing hug. "You idiot!" She sobbed. "I can't do anything to change your mind, can I?"

I returned the hug."No, you can't." I replied. "But I promise... I'll be back! I'll come home when this is over and we can farm together as a whole family once again!" I passionately vowed, even though my chances of coming out of this war alive were slimmer than most full grown men's. Then I started to cry, burying my face in her short brown hair. I breathed in her scent, something I believed that I would never smell again. She smelled of fresh rich soil and green tea. I carefully slipped a Yin Yang symbol necklace into the bow of her kimono.

_*Flashback Ends*_

Months later I had heard that my home had been burned to the ground and no survivors had been reported. I had always believed that out of the two of us, that I would be the one to die first. I've always taken stupid and reckless risks, while she was as bold as me, she was more cautious and carried more common sense in her head than me. I had believed that she was dead until today, until I got to feel the strength of her warm embrace again.

I was snapped out my day dreaming by a slap that stung like hell and sounded like a horsewhip.

"Hey! What was that for?" I demanded as I rubbed my cheek.

"That was for not coming home like you promised!" She snapped.

"I thought you were dead! I had received news that the farm got burned to the ground and that no one had survived!" I retorted. "Why didn't you come looking for me?!"

"Because when you didn't come home after the Sekiho Army was killed off I thought you hadn't survived!"

"Then both of us are at blame for not having faith in each other and believing that the other wasn't alive!"

"Yeah!"

"Why are we shouting still?!"

"I don't know, but it feels good!"

"Ummm... Sanosuke," A soft voice interrupted are shouting fest. We turned our heads to see Kenshin supporting Akimoto and carrying a green bag that clanked every time Kenshin shifted his weight. "I really hate to interrupt your argument with this nice young lady, but we do need to get Akimoto to Miss Megumi. I certainly hope she doesn't kill me for this." He said, laughing nervously.

"He called me a lovely lady." My sister dreamily murmured. I could just picture little pink hearts floating around my twin's head.

"Don't get your hopes up, Saimora. He already has a special little someone." I told her flatly.

Those little hearts I imagined started to shatter.

"Could you help me Sanosuke? He's heavier than he looks." Kenshin asked again, reminding me that I had a friend in need.

"Yeah, sure." I said as I picked up Akimoto bridal style. "Hey sis, you wanna come with?"

"Heck yeah! I'm not about to be separated from you after we see each other for the first time in over ten years."

With that we began to head towards the Fox Lady's house. Kenshin is right. Akimoto looks very thin and bony with his kimono on, and he even feels bony, but he is no light weight. He is skinny but I can feel his thick muscles through his kimono as I carried him. This caused me to believe if he would stop being self-conscious and wear his size in kimonos that all the ladies would look at would be his muscular chest, which I believed he had. Not that I actually touched his chest. I mean seriously, what messed up guy goes and feels another dude's chest and isn't checking for wounds? Akimoto didn't appear to have any chest wounds. The front of his kimono was drenched in sweat, but not blood. In fact, he looked perfectly fine, jsut exhausted. Though it did appear that he popped open his stitches on his leg. The Fox Lady was not going to happy with that.

Akimoto peered at me through his half-lidded eyes. "You know, you look kinda cute Sano." He giggled in a very girly voice.

"Kenshin!" I called to the back where Kenshin continued to carry the heavy and clinking bag. "He's gone delirious!"

He ran up to me. "What do you mean, Sano?" He asked.

"Akimoto just called me cute and giggled like a silly girl who's trying to flirt."

"Maybe it's just because he's exhausted." He offered.

"I hope so. I don't want to deal with someone who could go crazy and try to kill me."

"I don't know if it would just be a try Sano, I think it might be a success." Kenshin said somberly.

"What do you mean? Did Akimoto really take down all those men by himself?"

Kenshin nodded his head. "Yes, indeed he did. And he moved so fast that I could barely see him. He used a dull sword that would take extreme strength to cause even a shallow cut. He did all this while blinded and wounded."

Another girly giggle rose from Akimoto's lips. "It's okay Kenshin. I fought with worse injuries, I'm okay. I'm going to sleep now, before I tell you too much." He yawned and then fell asleep.

"Man, he's acting weird."

"I think this is why." Kenshin commented as he reached for Akimoto's back. When he pulled it away there was a little dart in his hand.

"Oops, I think that was my fault." My sister said, finally speaking up. Kenshin jumped in surprise, sending a clatter though the bag. "I was shooting sleeping darts at those thieves and when they fell I missed them and it probably is the one that hit your friend here."

"That would make since, Miss..."

"Saimora. You can call me Sai."

"Okay Miss Saimora. So, you're Sanosuke's sister?"

"Yeah, I'm actually his twin and we..." She told Kenshin about our family and our past. I didn't mind. Kenshin could know. He had a hard past himself. I wasn't so sure about her letting tell Missy, Yahiko, or Fox Lady yet though.

* * *

Kenshin P.O.V.

I was on the porch, thinking of all the holes in Akimoto's story. He wasn't telling us the true story, or at least, not all of it. And that was obvious from what he had told us in his drugged state a month ago as well as his amazing success in the fight.

The bag that had been important for him recover was a collection of various swords. Some were sharp enough to cut through diamond, other were so dull that it would be nearly impossible to cut flesh. But there was one sword in his collection that disturbed me. It was a kukureta himitsu desu, and I shook when I saw the inscription on the hilt. It read, "Decisions make who we are and what will be."

It was _her_ sword. Akimoto had taken her sword from her. I could only assume that the other sword that were in the bag were from his master's other victims. If he really had a master. I was beginning to doubt Akimoto's story more and more.

"Sir Ken?" Someone called in singsong voice, interrupting my train of thought.

"I'm on the porch, Miss Megumi!" I called back.

"There you are Sir Ken! I was hoping I could talk to you about Akimoto's leg."

Worry crossed my thoughts. I may be suspicious of Akimoto, but I believe that he was a good boy at heart.

"What about his leg? I thought it was completely healed."

"Yes, it is but I want to talk about the cut itself."

"What about it?"

"I don't think he got it in a fight. I think he may have done it to himself, perhaps in an attempt of suicide." She replied seriously.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because the cut started a few inches before the knee and stopped about mid-quad. Whatever was used to make the cut was dragged towards him in a clean and precise cut that could not have been made in a fight. He would've either been held down by his foes in this process, which I find highly unlikely since they would kill him when they got the chance, or he did it himself and was lucky that he missed major arteries."

I thought back to the long locks covered in dry blood that Akimoto had brought with him.

"I don't think it was an attempt of suicide Miss Megumi. I think he had another reason for giving himself a cut that would bleed a lot was for another purpose. Perhaps the blood on Ishimaru's hair was not hers, but his. Maybe he is helping her fake her death."

"Why would she do that?"

"If I know Ishimaru, she is tired of fighting bounty hunters wherever she goes. She is tired of still having to kill for survival after the revolution. News of her death would spread like wild fire and she would be left alone."

"But why would she keep it from you?"

"I don't know." I said, resting my head in my hands.

_Thump_

"Where is she?" A deep voice shouted from the practice yard.

"I told you! She's dead!"

Miss Megumi and I rushed to the practice yard where Miss Kaoru, Yahiko, Saimora, and Sano were already watching the horrifying spectacle before them. A large man was chasing Akimoto around the yard, pounding his fist where Akimoto was there only a second before.

"Why aren't you helping him?" Miss Megumi shouted over the thumping sounds.

"He told us to stay out of it. He also said to get his bag, but I don't know where it is!" Miss Kaoru yelled back.

"I do! It's under the front porch!" I shouted.

"I'll go get it!" Saimora called as she gave two thumbs up before running to go get it.

I studied the large man. He had a dark tan with long black hair and he was easily twice Akimoto's size. A large sword hung from a belt and he only wore pants, exposing his large muscular chest. He may have had a sword, but apparently he did not want to kill his prey just yet so he used his fist instead.

"Where is my bride to be?!" He shouted at Akimoto, who yet again demonstrated his unnatural ability to dodge the oncoming fists without his sight.

"She is dead! My master killed her!" Akimoto shouted back.

"Impossible! Nothing can kill my beloved Ishimaru!" He shouted as he smashed a barrel that Akimoto had been standing on a short time ago.

"My master did! And I don't believe your beloved Ishimaru loved you back!"

"I don't care if she loved me or not! The most powerful woman in the world was, is too be mine."

"Don't you think she could use her power to avoid that!"

The man suddenly stopped.

"It is obvious that I cannot take you alive, so I will let my men do that!" He then snapped his fingers and two men completely dressed in black hopped out of the shadows with there dulled blades.

"Akimoto!" Saimora said, suddenly appearing behind me. "Catch!"

She through his green bag a him, but I knew it was to late. Akimoto could not stop both attacks at once, unless he could fight with a sword in both hands as well as he could with one sword.

He quickly reached into his bag as the men struck. I closed by eyes and waited to hear the sickening crunch of bones breaking, but was surprised when I heard a clang instead. Akimoto held Ishimaru's sword, or swords I guess you could call them in their current state.

The name of her sword meant secret or hidden sword, and the reason for that name became obvious when the wielder of the blade splits the sword in two, starting at the hilt and causing the the two blades think blade to become a blade thick each.

That's exactly what Akimoto had done, he had split the sword and was able to keep both men at bay.

The initial attackers face turned cherry red with anger.

"You use her sword?!" He screamed. "Now I don't care if you know where she is! You shall die!"

He then charged a him with his sword drawn and before any of could react he attacked Akimoto. His large body hid Akimoto from sight, but we all heard the sickening sound of tearing flesh and blood splattering the ground as well as the air with its scent. There wasn't a scream, there was no other sound. Could Akimoto have been killed with that one blow? But I didn't hear or see his body hit the ground.

Then, all of a sudden, the three men fell to the ground, writhing as their blood fled their bodies from various cuts on their torsos. Akimoto was still standing and all of us breathed a sigh of relief before any of us noticed that Akimoto was pressing a hand to his chest where he was trying to staunch the flow of blood.

Miss Megumi was the first to notice. "Guys, now is not the time for relief! He's badly hurt! Get him into the Dojo now!"

Sano and I then quickly ran up to him to help him get to the house on his obviously shaky legs.

"I'm fine." He panted.

"No, you're not. Listen, I am going to carry you into the Dojo where Megumi is going to fix you up." Sano warned before sweeping the young man into his arms, earning a small cry of discomfort from Akimoto.

He was quickly put onto his mat in the Dojo and then Miss Megumi quickly shooed us all out. We waited for hours, worrying. The amount of blood that had stained Akimoto's kimono could only mean a bad cut, and bad cuts could mean death.

Miss Megumi stepped out of the room hours after that, drying her hands with a towel.

"How is he?" Miss Kaoru asked.

"She'll be fine, as long as she isn't moved for a while." She replied.

"Don't you mean he?" Sano asked.

My stomach suddenly felt like lead.

"No, I mean she." Miss Megumi corrected. "Akimoto is a girl."

* * *

**Yeah! Another cliffhanger. Dos more chapters to go before I finish this. Here are some more predictions, though one of them has already happened.**

**a) Akimoto is actually a girl.**

**b) Akimoto isn't blind.**

**c) Akimoto is Kenshin's brother.**

**d) Ishimaru is going to rise from the dead and kill Akimoto and his master, and then have a quick tea party with Kenshin before returning to the underworld.**

**e) Ishimaru is alive.**

**f) Saimora is actually Sanosuke's girlfriend.**

**g) Saimora is Kenshin's girlfriend.**

**h) Akimoto doesn't have a master and he was the one to kill Ishimaru.**

**i) Akimoto dies.**

**j) Ishimaru had Akimoto fake her death.**

**k) Akimoto is a big fat liar.**

**l) Akimoto has a crush on Sano.**


	4. Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

Kenshin P.O.V.

"When can we see her?" Sano asked.

I barely heard him. My ears felt numb. Maybe Akimoto wasn't really her name, I knew it most likely wasn't, maybe she was _her_. Oh dear, I was so scared that my hopes were wrong that I wouldn't even think _her _name.

"You can see her know, but if you wake her up you're the one going to be the one that needs to lie still on a mat." Miss Megumi laughed in a dark and disturbing way.

Sano looks at me nervously, "Do you think that she's serious?"

I look back at him with a similar nervous expression, "I don't know, but I don't wanna find out."

When we walked into the room it was deathly quiet and her soft breaths could barely be detected. She was laying very still in her mat. I looked at her and I wanted to slap myself in the face. The details that were I saw now that I knew were so obvious that I probably should've noticed them long before now. Her face was long and narrow but it had a feminine roundness to it and her lips were slim and delicate and had soft rosy pink hue to them. Her eyelashes her long and thick and her nose ended in a sharp point. The bridge to the bottom of the nose was long but the the base of the nose was a little short. Her hair had started to get long enough to frame her face, the warm golden tendrils of her hair were light and I could tell even without feeling that they were soft. The blanket was pulled down to her waist, allowing her tightly bandage chest to show and so that she would not feel constricted or the need to panic when she awoke. It was obvious from the tightly wrapped chest that she was female. I probably never noticed it because she always slept on her side, because lying on her back would leave her neck exposed, and because she wore that oversized kimono the bagginess hide her curves, top and waist and hip wise.

"So was the cut in the valley or across the hills, or both was it both ways?" Sano asked.

Miss Megumi, Miss Kaoru, and Miss Saimora quickly dragged Sanosuke outside the room before attacking him viciously. I heard muffled words that sounded like _pervert_ and _you disgust me_. They then promptly returned inside, dragging a twitching Sanosuke behind them. I wonder what set them off for a second before I put two and two together, and I slightly blushed.

"What are you thinking, Kenshin?" The three girls asked threateningly.

"Oh, nothing. It was nothing." I assured them as I waved my hands frantically in front of me for emphasis.

I then began to think again about the details that I should've noticed. I had carried or supported her multiple times and I was able to feel her frame. It was light, but sturdy. Most of her weight was definitely well trained muscle. Her shoulder had been narrow and everything had been so thin. Her legs, her arms, and her waist. I had originally thought that she was like me, a being who hid their incredible power behind what appeared to be a skinny sack of bones. Her voice and laugh was too high to be a male's either, but I had passed her, well a him at the time, as a late bloomer.

Then I noticed a small detail, a single tiny detail, that sent my world spiraling out of control. A small crossed shaped scar on the front of her left shoulder.

_*Flashback*_

Foes surrounded us everywhere. Ishimaru and I were forced to fight back to back and until we could gain enough for us to fight individually. She may have been six, but that little girl fought like a demon who knew what the heck she was doing. The only reasons these idiots had the gut to fight both of us together was because they outnumbered us 159 to 2. _Now it was 153 to 2_, I thought as three more men fell at my hand in sync with three more men that fell at Ishimaru's.

All of a sudden I heard a cry of pain that did not belong to the men who outnumbered us. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Ishimaru clutching her left shoulder which blood was pulsing profusely out of. The men in front of her grinned at each other and they began to swarm towards her like sharks who had smelled blood.

"Ishimaru!"

"I'm fine! It's just a little cut." Her squeaky voice called out.

I knew she was lying. She was still so young, she was not yet strong enough to sustain such damage and still fight. I tried a risky move. I swung my sword in a large circle, either forcing the men to get pushed back or get cut and most likely killed. The swing would leave me open from the places I had recently just left, but if I did it quickly enough the men would have no time to react. Many men fell, not ever to get up. Enough fell, and in such a certain way that they created a temporary barrier, one that may last long enough for the battle to be finished by my comrades. I wanted to finish this battle, but my closet comrade needed me more than them.

I caught her as she fell, and once I sat down and laid her gently down on my lap. I quickly pulled the left shoulder of her kimono away to look at the wound.

"I told you, I'm fine." She weakly muttered.

"No you're not, you idiot." I snapped.

She lifted her right hand up to my face, lightly brushing her blood covered fingers across my crossed shaped scar on my left cheek. She smiled slightly, as if struck all of a sudden by an amazing idea. She reached for the inside of her left leg and removed her dagger, barely any movement was needed. It was purposely made and positioned that way so it would be hard for an enemy to guess what she was doing before they had a dagger in their throat. She slowly moved the blade up to her shoulder and then quickly made a cut almost perpendicular to the original before I could stop her. The dagger then slipped from her fingers and she smiled and whispered into my ear, "Now we're twins, Battosai."

_*Flashback Ends*_

The name slipped out before I could even think.

"Ishimaru." I whispered.

Everyone in the room froze.

Miss Kaoru quietly came over and gently grabbed my arm and asked me in hushed voice, "Is that her, Kenshin?"

I looked her in her beautiful and wide eyes. They questioned me, they wanted to know so much about the relationship with that person who laid unconscious on the mat nearby. I had told her only a brief summary of it to her and my friends.

I thought about the young girl I knew from the Revolution to the young woman I had just recently found out was a woman. Could that really be her? It must be. No one had a scar identical to hers. She would have had to have grown eventually. Was the woman nearby a possible outcome of that growth?

"Is she Ishimaru?" Kaoru asked again, sounding more urgent at the sign of my hesitation.

We were so focused on each other that we didn't notice new movements in the room until _she _spoke.

"You bet the hell that I am." Ishimaru panted as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

Her voice. The tone sounded familiar. It sounded like the tone she had by the last time we met. Her tone was serious and revealed that she had gone through much sorrow. It also had a gentle sound to it, like she was pretending to be tough for everyone's sake and that she cared for every living soul nearby, even though she had to kill many.

Akimoto's tone had been a happy and innocent one. It also revealed hardships, as it would have impossible for Ishimaru to pretend otherwise. She has gone so much that not even an elite spy could hide that much hardship.

I looked into her sightless eyes.

"Ishimaru?"

"Hello, Big Brother."

* * *

**Yay! Ishimaru is alive! It's alive! It's alive! Mawhahahaha! Sorry, couldn't help myself. No multiple choice predictions since we are nearing the end of the story. The final chapter will hopefully be coming soon. I just need to work on my studying for my drivers permit. I can't wait until I can finally drive! Albeit, that it will be with parent supervision for a while.**


	5. Chapter 5: A Family Meal

Chapter 5: A Family Meal

Kaoru P.O.V.

From the way Ishimaru had acted when she first woke up I assumed that she was a cocky idiot like Sanosuke, but had turned out that she was a real sweetheart. She was just as kind and as gentle as Kenshin had described her to be. Her smiles were warm, though you could still see the pain that she went through. Her behavior after first awaking baffled me. Kenshin quickly reassured me that she only behaved like that when she was grumpy, frustrated, or in the middle of battle.

It was only a few days after Ishimaru had regained consciousness when Megumi had declared that she could be safely moved around on one condition... she used a wheelchair that one of Kenshin's foreigner friends donated to Doctor Gensai's clinic. Megumi said that the only reason she was letting Ishimaru even do that is because if she was anything like Kenshin that she wouldn't wait to move until she was completely healed. She also didn't want Ishimaru to get into the practice of busting her stitches.

Right now we are going to the Akabeko to celebrate Ishimaru returning to Kenshin.

"It smells delicious in here." Ishimaru commented as Sanosuke gently sat her down at the table. "Why can't I do something as simple as sitting down on my own Megumi?"

"I already told you, it's because I really don't want to risk you messing up your stitches again." Ishimaru opened her mouth to protest but Megumi interrupted her. "I know you've managed to avoid ripping your stitches during the Revolution because you were kept from fighting, unfortunately if your luck is anything like Kenshin's, you won't get much time to heal."

"Fine." Ishimaru relented.

"Now, tell us how that giant man you slayed became so in love with you." Megumi demanded, like always, that girl was out for gossip.

Ishimaru leaned back against the wall as she started to tell the tale of her giant lover.

"His name was Katsu. We met about two years ago. I had long since scared the crap out of every bounty hunter who thought they could take me and so I was surprised when he approached me and asked for a fight. I asked him if he thought that risking his life was really worth the money. He then told me that it wasn't for the money and that he would not fight to his death or even serious injury. He said that all he wanted to see that if I, a blind female warrior, was as powerful as many had said. We did fight and it lasted a few minutes because I forced myself to not give him any injuries. He knew I was holding back and he quickly submitted. He got down on his knees and apologized for his doubt and asked if he could take me out for a meal as a token of his new found respect for me. I accepted-"

"Oh great, another freeloader." Yahiko grumbled. Unfortunately for him he happened to sitting across the table from Ishimaru and so it was very simple for the blind woman to take her sheathed sword and wack him on top of the head. I was concerned for a brief moment when I saw the size of the bump on his head, but that vanished when Ishimaru continued her story.

"I accepted only after he said that it was only way that he would be able to forgive himself for his doubt. If I had known what I his family's customs were I would've never accepted. Apparently his family customs were that if a male could find a respectable female through battle and then manage to get her to go out for a meal with him that then those to are engaged to be married. I did not wish to kill him, for he was a kind and passionate man. He just wasn't for me. So I ran from him, but he continued to hunt me. It was okay for a while, but then about two weeks before Kenshin found me I discovered that Katsu had been threatening and killing people who might know anything about my whereabouts or where I was going. So I devised the plan to fake my death in hopes that if he believed me to be dead he would leave me and the people alone. As you can see, in the end I was forced to kill him in order to free myself and others from him."

"Why did you lie to us? Why did you lie to Kenshin?" I asked.

"Because, if Katsu had suspected that any of you knew anything about me, he try and harm you. I knew Kenshin could handle him and any goons he sent Kenshin's way, but I didn't want to be the one who put any of you at risk, even if it could easily be handled. I mean, you guys have made Kenshin happy and I would never risk my Big Brother's happiness."

"Awww, how sweet!" Megumi and I said at the same time. We quickly flashed each other dirty looks afterwards.

Everyone then burst out laughing, everyone except for Ishimaru, who had not seen Megumi and me show our dislike for each other.

"What? What's so funny?" She asked.

* * *

Miss Tae

I walked over to Kenshin's group which had just burst out laughing and seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the long wait for someone to come over and take their orders. A young blond woman had a confused look across her face but her eyes did not display any emotion at all.

"Hey Kenshin!" I greeted. "What can I get you guys today?"

"It's Miss Tae, correct?" The young blond woman asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes it is. Have we met before?" I asked politely.

The smile she gave me was warm and also hinted of inside joke that I did not know about.

"I thought your voice was familiar. Yes, we have met once before. However it was brief and I had disguised myself as a young man."

My mind flashed back to the young blond man who had had Kenshin searching under the front porch. I had only seen the back of his head and then a fight had broken out. He had leaped into the fray before I could get a good look at him.

"Oh, I remember! It's Akimoto right?" I commented as I recalled the name Kenshin had said when he explained what he was doing.

The young lady chuckled. "No, that was a fake name I was using to conceal my identity. You might actually know me by the name of Ishimaru Miharu, a war legend from the Evolution." I was sure that my mouth was gaping open and I let out a gasp. "I'm guessing by the gasping that you recognize my name. I wish I could see your face, I bet it looks hilarious."

"I thought you were dead. At least, that's what the bounty hunters have been saying about you. They said that someone had killed you and sent their servant or something to come collect the cash. They brought your long hair stained with blood as evidence." I commented.

"That was me, faking my own death for reasons that I really don't want to go into for now. I'm starving!"

"Oh of course! So, what does everyone want?"


End file.
